A restaurant in Boothbay Harbor where the lobster boats come right up to the dock. Note the working Diesel fuel pump right next to the bussing table.

Hud at sailing camp, Great Pond, ME

So here we are in Maine, staying with my kind parents in the house I grew up in. After one whole year with no vacations and a serious amount of preparatory work and planning we are finally able to take a deep breath and just STOP for a little while. We gave up a lot this year as we prepared for our new lives--we didn't travel, we saved every penny we could, and we spent every evening and day off working like fiends towards this goal of buying a sailboat and living on it. We knew it would be hard, but it was way WAY harder than we ever thought it would be, and Trav and I have our first gray hairs to prove it. (As it turns out, leaving your lives and starting new ones is super labor intensive and stressful. Keep that in mind if you ever start thinking about taking a trip like this.) But now, for the first time in over a year, we can goof off a little bit. We swim in the pool, we take rides in the boat on Great Pond, we eat Whoopie Pies like they're about to go extinct. And I keep catching myself thinking about when this vacation is going to end and then remembering, "Oh right, this is how we live now. IT'S NOT GOING TO END." I won't lie to you, it's a really weird feeling. That's an understatement actually- it's not just weird, it's ALIEN. For as long as I can remember, the end of summer has meant a return to work, a return to school, a return to routine. Now we have no routine of any kind and to be honest, it's kind of hard to wrap my head around that. In Telluride, my daily to-do list filled an entire page. I got used to being stressed, just about every single day about how I would get it all done. Now my daily to-do list reads like this:
1. Run
2. Get dog groomed
3. Pick blackberries
And here's the messed-up part-- I have to keep telling myself that IT'S OK NOT BE BE STRESSED. Crazy, right? Travis and I are in the process of re-training our brains that we don't have to be in a rush, we don't have anywhere to be at a certain time, and our responsibiities are few and manageable. Strangely, it's much harder to do that than it sounds. And it makes me realize, in a MAJOR way, how much we needed this. Stress isn't good for you.
In other news, my brother is getting married in 2 weeks! My sister is coming from California in 2 days! Vivian learned to swim! Hudson learned to sail! Homeschooling begins in a few weeks! In October, we leave for Florida to start our lives on the boat. Things are happening and life is good. As always, I am grateful.

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I remember way back you saying that you guys wanted this because life became too easy (if read in the wrong town, that sounds lecture-y; I definitely don't mean it that way. I note that memory, because I think about it all the time and go back to it whenever I want to sink into comfort for the rest of my life, when I know something more exciting is dangling in front of me). Now, however, it sounds really hard! You guys are rock stars. And struggle/challenge is admirable. Right? You always taught me that too. Life lessons from the Moxie Crew. Love you & eat some of them blackberries for me please.

Little Char! Yes, you are absolutely right, a giant reason for making this change was that we didn't want to become too complacent in our lives and the routine had become too easy and predictable. And the past year was HARD, so mission accomplished! And now we can relax a bit, which feels right. I know that once we get on the boat, everything will be foreign and tricky and crazy. It will be a real test of our skills, patience, endurance, etc. So here we go! Love you and miss you, dear friend. xo

The adventure continues, and your dad and I are pleased/proud to be part of your steps forward! You are a wonderful,caring family, and you spread sunshine wherever you travel!Thanks again for sharing your time with us! Much love!

Dodi you have always been an inspiration to me, so thank YOU!I have learned so much from reading other people's blogs and that's a big reason I wanted to share all we experience, the good, the bad, and the scary. Our family is wading through new waters, and every day feels different. Thank you so much for reading and for being my friend!

Hud kept our spirits up during the long, awful day by playing his uke and singing. It has taken me a few days to process what ...

Jennifer & Travis Julia

Travis and Jen Julia are Captain and First Mate of SV Moxie. Originally from Maine and friends since they were nine years old, Trav & Jen reside in Telluride, CO when they are not sailing with their crew, which includes Hudson (11) and Vivian (8).